Holiday Must-Haves For Kids

Christmas Gift Guide For Kids
All the following companies and products have been reviewed and have received All American Mommy awards. We highly recommend these products and companies.

KidzBop Christmas: Rock around the Christmas tree…with KIDZ BOP! Join the KIDZ BOP Kids and sing along to 15 of the world’s most popular holiday songs. $11.98 SRP. KidzBop16: KIDZ BOP celebrates "Sweet 16” with the release its latest CD, KIDZ BOP 16. The CD features 16 of today’s biggest chart-topping hits—sung by kids for kids, including: Boom Boom Pow, Fire Burning, You Found Me, and more! $18.98 SRP. Unwrap more holiday fun, games and KIDZ BOP music videos at KIDZBOP.com!







Tribute Books offers many great ideas for children's books! A Different Kind of Hero: The rainforest is under attack. One monkey is determined to save it. His name is Tomagochi. He’s brown. He’s small. He’s plain. But when a group of men enters the rainforest armed with bulldozers and axes, Tomagochi the monkey springs into action to defend his natural habitat. While larger animals like Peshe the tiger run and hide, Tomagochi charges into battle. Will he be victorious? Will the rainforest be saved? Join Tomagochi as he fights to protect his home and discovers just how special he truly is. Please visit www.tribute-books.com for more information. This and other titles are available for purchase at www.amazon.com.

Name Your Tune (www.nameyourtune.com) is an exciting children's music compilation that is made-to-order and personalized for each child. Children will hear their name more than 80 times throughout 14 much-loved songs, such as Old MacDonald Had A Farm (which becomes Little * Had A Farm,) Wheels on the Bus and If You're Happy and You Know It (becomes If You're * And You Know It.) The CD is a great way to enjoy music, have fun, and learn together! It also includes a line above and below the name on the CD, making it an even special personalized item.

Great for ages 4 and up, you can now order this 3 pack collection which is perfect for kids! We love the stories on CD for bedtime and long car rides! CD Audiobooks, Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales, Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic and Tell Me a Story 3: Women of Wonder, with multicultural folktales read by some of stage and screen's most talented performers and accompanied by original music written by composer Laura Hall. Please visit www.mythsandtales.com for more information!

The award-winning Original Green Toys™ brand – trucks and tea sets, tool kits, jump ropes and more, are classic toys that kids love, and all are made in the USA of 100% recycled plastic. In fact, Green Toys Inc. is the leader in the category of classic toys that are safe and environmentally responsible.Using recycled plastic milk containers, recyclable corrugated boxes for its packaging, and producing the toys in the USA, Green Toys helps save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since their initial introduction in June 2008, Green Toys brand of classic toys have proven themselves as best-sellers at a wide variety of retail outlets. You can't go wrong with all these green choices - recycling truck, tea set, dump truck, cookware set, took kit, indoor gardening kit, chief set, and dining set.

flair4all is a new line of removable wall decals (think wall stickers that come off the wall) made for fashionistas. With flair4all, any mom or teen can take a boring room and make it stylish without paint or putting nail holes in the wall. For only $20 you get three sheets of fun and stylish flair4all wall decals – and with over 100 designs in seven color palettes to chose from there’s something for everyone. (Even mom – we have lots of adult customers who like flair4all because it’s a cheap way to bring style to a home office or craft room.) Unlike some other wall decals, flair4all sticks to nearly any surface, including glass, cement and textured walls. This means you can put plenty of flair up on your walls and still have some left over to accessorize your laptop, cell phone or refrigerator – you name it, the possibilities are nearly endless! Please visit www.flair4all.com!

The HEXBUG Nano, an irresistible, ultra-engaging bug-like robotic toy provides hours of fun for the home family, is only $7.99, and is now available at ToysRUs & RadioShack stores nationwide. The HEXBUG Nano is an energetic micro robotic bug that uses the physics of vibration and robotic intelligence to skitter along and explore its environment on smooth surfaces. It may be little, but it’s fascinating behavior transfixes kids, tweens and parents for hours at a time! It also makes for the perfect stocking stuffer for shoppers on a budget. Get these today at ToysRUs or RadioShack!







My Secret Circle is a new plug-‘n-play product that allows girlfriends - not strangers - to hang out online, chat, blog, write journal entries, share pictures, play games and more. For good reason, parents struggle with whether or not to allow their kids to get on social networking sites, like Facebook & MySpace. But now there’s a fun, safe alternative that keeps both kids and their parents happy. Global game and toymaker, Senario, has created the first-ever secure social networking world specifically for girls ages 8-12. The new product ($19.99) uses online access keys (USB keys) featuring proprietary technology with embedded browsers and unique ID codes. Only friends can connect by exchanging private codes. Even better, girls never need to upload personal information online, further enhancing the security of the network. It’s sold at Justice stores for tweens across the country, as well as Target.com and Amazon.com.

My First Oreck vacuum comes with educational games that help teach kids how to help out around the house and other skills.Designed for children ages 3 and up, the Oreck toy vacuum makes real vacuum sounds and looks appealing, with a clear dust container with swirling colored foam beads to capture kids’ attention. LED lights glow under the base. The toy vacuum looks like the real thing, similar in looks to the Oreck XLÒ Platinum Power Team Upright Vacuum, engineered for effective cleaning and allergen control. A drop down handle on the 29-in. tall toy vacuum adjusts to different angles and for children of different heights. My First Oreck has a real on/off switch (kids like to play with controls) and free-rolling, non-marking wheels that won’t harm carpets and floors and stand up to kids’ play. Available for purchase at over 450 Oreck Clean Home Centers. Please visit www.oreckstore.com for a location nearest you.

Countdown to Christmas: Top Pick Toys

Green Toys’ line of classic toys uses recycled plastic milk containers to make safe, eco-friendly children’s toys that do not contain phthalates, Bispenol-A (BPA), or lead and also meet FDA food contact standards.They have been named one of Dr. Toy’s Top 100 and were named Parenting Magazine Top Toys Of 2008. Visit www.greentoys.com for more information and store locations.

HURU HUMIs™ are fun and inspiring! You can chat with them, play games, and be endlessly entertained by their quirky personalities. They’re also techno works of art with voice recognition technology, motion sensors, wireless communication capabilities and digital displays. HURU HUMIs™ can help develop social skills. HURU HUMIs™ can help kids build social skills because introducing HURU HUMIs™ to each other is a great reason for kids to get together to play rather than isolating them with internet-based play patterns. HURU HUMIs™ will help children learn about the basic customs of communication and friendships. It’s fun and very important for kids to have friends to talk to and HURU HUMIs™ are digital personalities that can be your friend and teach you how to be a good friend to others. Each HURU HUMI™ costs $29.99. They can be purchased at Walmart, Target, Kmart and Toys R Us.

Play Ball the Board Game is a patent pending educational sports game created by Mr. Keith Neubauer to assist an experienced player in teaching an inexperienced player the basics of baseball. The game is designed for children ages four to seven. It is ideal for parents or grandparents or even older siblings (experienced in the game of baseball) and their children, brothers or sisters or grandchildren (inexperienced in the game of baseball) about America’s favorite pastime. Visit www.playballtheboardgame.com for more information!

Home/Indoor Game that's perfect for 4-7 years old! Haley loves playing this game and her friends have really enjoyed it too! They have to hunt for treasure by solving the clues on each clue card. It's just as much fun to hide the treasure as it is to hunt for it! Visit www.wheego.com for more information and to purchase this fun game!






WordWorld is an Emmy-winning PBS KIDS television series that reaches children ages 3-5 in 22 countries internationally. WordWorld has also created a series of award-winning toys AND an interactive website. The WordWorld toy series are designed to bridge the gap between letter recognition and learning to read. WordWorld toys are available exclusively at www.target.com. Go to www.wordworld.com for more information on WordWorld.

Positive role models and messages for young girls! Only Hearts Club consists of a eight culturally diverse, poseable fashion dolls who look and dress like real girls and who formed a club with a promise to “listen to your heart and do the right thing.” Taylor Angelique, Karina Grace, Olivia Hope, Briana Joy, Lily Rose, Anna Sophia, Kayla Rae and Hannah Faith are nine inches tall (each). Each doll’s story revolves around her hobby. For instance, Anna Sophia loves to cook, Taylor Angelique likes to care for animals and Briana Joy is into the heart-pumping action of sports! They are fully poseable with highly detailed and life-like features, such as bright eyes, fashionable hair styles, and soft bodies. Visit www.onlyheartsclub.com for more information. Also available at Target stores.

A great gift for kids and adults alike, Hal and Holly Moose™ are two of our newest furry friends at Build-A-Bear Workshop^®. Hal Moose™ is a free-spirited dreamer who is determined to fly with Santa’s Reindeer, and his light-up antlers are sure to brighten any holiday setting. Holly Moose™ is a tech savvy, level-headed inventor, who is always there helping her brother on his latest adventure. Both can be dressed in an array of styles – ranging from street clothes to the latest holiday attire.

And, in this “beary” first Build-A-Bear Workshop^® furry friend-inspired story, “Holly & Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure,” this sibling duo comes to life as they share a Christmas adventure and discover that when they combine their minds and talents, anything is possible, even helping Santa save Christmas! The storybook is FREE when you buy both Holly & Moose ($18 each), and available for sale for $15.99. Fans can also extend the fun and enjoy Hal and Holly’s adventures exclusively online at buildabearville.com™ – the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world stuffed with fun.

Kooky Klickers are the must-have stocking stuffer this year. They are flying off the shelves at major retailers everywhere! Haley's entire class loves them because her second grade teacher carries one on her lanyard and uses it specifically for grading their papers. They are super cute and each have a different design with their own unique personality. Visit www.kookys.com for more information!

Pirate King is a new twist on classic game play. Seamlessly blending classic board game genres into one exciting adventure, players, or in this case Captains, sail around the Caribbean capturing territories and building fortifications while picking up crewmen and cannons for their ships as well as great mysterious treasures that aid in combat, movement, economics and even curses!

This is a game of economic management, property building, and naval combat. Pirate King compares to games like Monopoly and Risk but with a greater depth of strategy. Imagine a game of monopoly where you could attack Boardwalk and capture it from you opponent rather than just paying rent. Visit www.flasterventure.com for more information!

The JamboKids dolls and storybook characters represent a range of cultures - Asian, African, Hispanic, North American, and Russian -- reflecting the growing cultural diversity of our society. Through their adventures, they inspire kids to appreciate differences that they may encounter in our own culture and prepare them for a global world by modeling life skills and values that promote cognitive development, emotional maturity, social awareness, civic mindedness, and other virtues that are universally valued by people across the world. These fabric dolls are just right for small children -- they're soft and huggable, look like real kids, are culturally diverse, and affordable! JamboKids was recently awarded 6 Preferred Choice Awards from Creative Child Magazine (November 2008). Visit www.jambokids.com to purchase or for more information.

These unique and innovative 3-dimensional, round jigsaw puzzles (which range in price from $14.99 to $39.99) come in 18 colorful images in sizes ranging from 60 to 540 pieces. Each puzzleball® has perfectly crafted, curved plastic pieces so that once completed you have a solid, smooth ball – with no glue required. And, if you need a hint, each piece is conveniently numbered on its underside. Constructing a Ravensburger puzzleball® is entertaining, educational and fun for all ages. They can be found at a number of specialty toy retailers throughout the United States (a store locator is available on the Web site), online at www.ravensburger.com/US, or by calling 1-800-886-1236

TAG Toys is a U.S. Toy company that manufactures high-quality, all natural wooden toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The entire TAG Toy collection is designed for children under 6-yrs old, and the toys are based on learning and early childhood development fundamentals. TAG Toys are known as Smart Toys, or toys that help children think and grow, perfect for families with young children! Visit www.TAGToys.com!